Poker Blinds

Some kinds of poker games are played with antes. An ante is in fact a small bet that everyone must put in to play, before any cards being dealt. Antes can begin as low as a quarter, and go up as high as five dollars, depending on the stakes. Whenever you are playing high-stakes poker where the minimum bet is $200, then the ante might be $50 or so. This is naturally decided before play starts, but can be increased throughout the game.

Blinds fucntion a little bit differently. It features a bet placed before any cards are dealt, but isn't placed by everyone. Mostly placed in Texas Hold 'Em, there are two types of blinds - the small blind and the big blind. The small blind equals half the minimum bet, and is posted by the player directly to the left of the dealer or the button. If there is a house dealer, the button is passed clockwise in a game and marks the spot of the person who would be dealing. The player seated to the left of the small blind source posts the big blind. If the minimum bet is $200, then the small blind will be $100, and the big one will be $200.

Once all the blinds are posted, the cards are dealt to the players. Betting commences with the player directly to the left of the big blind poster, who has to settle on if he wants to call the blind, raise to it, or simply go for fold. The same holds for the rest of the players, including the small blind. Then the big blind gets the final call before the subsequent cards are dealt, and could bet or call if the big blind was raised, or check raise, or fold if the big blind was raised.